Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original German WWII Waffen-SS enlisted/NCO right-side collar tab, or Kragenpatte, bearing the standard embroidered double Sig rune insignia. The tab is uniform removed and is particularly interesting because it retains Goldgelb, or gold-yellow, branch piping associated with reconnaissance and cavalry-related Waffen-SS formations.

The tab measures approximately 1 5/8 x 2 5/8 inches and is constructed from black wool with silver-gray embroidered runes over an internal buckram stiffener.

The front displays the familiar:

ᛋᛋ

double Sig rune insignia.

The runes remain in very good condition, with only light age toning and staining. The surrounding black wool shows honest service wear, including some thinning and wear-through around the edges.

Gold-yellow piping has been applied around the perimeter of the tab, and the attachment stitching remains clearly visible. This branch color was used within the Waffen-SS for reconnaissance, armored reconnaissance, and cavalry formations.

The use of branch-colored piping around collar tabs is of particular interest. While Waffenfarbe was more commonly encountered on shoulder straps, branch-colored piping was also seen on certain armored and reconnaissance uniforms, especially on wrapper-style garments. Because of that construction, this tab may well have been removed from an armored or reconnaissance wrapper tunic, although the original garment is no longer present to prove the exact source.

Condition is very good overall. The tab shows clear evidence of period wear and removal from a uniform, with light staining to the face and some edge wear to the black felt. The embroidered runes remain strong and undamaged.

The entire tab has been examined under ultraviolet light and shows no fluorescence. That is consistent with period materials, although UV testing by itself should not be treated as definitive proof of originality.

The Waffen-SS developed from the SS organization established during the 1920s and expanded dramatically under Heinrich Himmler. By WWII it included armed formations serving alongside the German military, with units organized into infantry, armored, reconnaissance, cavalry, artillery, engineer, and other branches.

Within armored and reconnaissance formations, uniform distinctions could vary considerably depending on period, unit, and garment type. Wrapper tunics in particular often displayed branch-colored details that differed from standard field tunics, making surviving insignia such as this especially interesting to collectors.

The combination of double Sig runes, gold-yellow reconnaissance piping, uniform-removed construction, and clear period wear makes this a desirable example for an advanced Waffen-SS insignia collection.